Giving new life to a job search

At one point in her career, Chris Driscoll O’Neill went nearly 18 months between jobs. That period of constant search and rejection did a number on her sense of self-worth, and she often found herself drawn to the ocean, where she would pray. “It’s tough to be upbeat when you ca...

By DIANNE McDONALD

The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA

By DIANNE McDONALD

Posted Feb. 9, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Updated Feb 9, 2010 at 9:06 AM

By DIANNE McDONALD

Posted Feb. 9, 2010 at 12:01 AM
Updated Feb 9, 2010 at 9:06 AM

» Social News

At one point in her career, Chris Driscoll O’Neill went nearly 18 months between jobs. That period of constant search and rejection did a number on her sense of self-worth, and she often found herself drawn to the ocean, where she would pray.

“It’s tough to be upbeat when you can’t find anything,” said O’Neill, who was worried she and her husband, Jim Driscoll, might lose their Marshfield home. “When you don’t have a job, it feels like part of you is missing. You’re not whole. It was a long, difficult time, one of the most stressful times of my life.”

Years later, after she was awarded money in a whistleblower settlement with her former employer, Serono, O’Neill decided to focus her money and energy into starting a nonprofit business to help people who are struggling to find jobs. When she opened One Life at a Time in November 2007, the Massachusetts economy was still relatively stable, but the national economy was beginning to crack. O’Neill sensed that the local economy would shift for the worse, and many people would need help finding work – an instinct that turned out to be dead-on.

“At the time it was just a feeling,” said O’Neill, who is in her 50s. “I knew how hard it was for me to be unemployed, and I knew there would be others facing that same challenge. I lost things and I could have lost everything, but I picked myself up and got back on my feet. I wanted to make sure that other people looking for jobs could have some resources.”

Beginning of Life

One Life at a Time started in a small three-room house in Braintree with three workers. Today, the organization has 12 workers and occupies offices in Rockland and Quincy. The career development specialists provide a variety of assistance – from helping write resumes and cover letters to teaching effective interviewing and computer skills. The career counselors work their contacts with employers and research job leads online in an effort to match qualified clients with open positions.

One Life at a Time has served more than 1,000 clients and has helped employ about 700 people, from data entry clerks, secretaries and truck drivers to accountants, lawyers and even high-paid executives. Many companies charge job-seekers for these services, but at One Life at a Time, all the services are free – a concept many newcomers have trouble wrapping their heads around.

“People are absolutely shocked and even suspicious when we tell our story,” said Russ Abbatiello, associate director of career specialists at One Life at a Time. “People ask a lot of questions. When you tell them there are no strings attached and everything is free, I’ve had clients tear up.”

Dave Malone, 42, of Pembroke, a financial analyst who was laid off in November 2008, admitted that when he first heard about One Life at a Time, he didn’t expect much and wondered if he might be wasting his time. But he is continually impressed with the resume tips and other help he has received.

Page 2 of 4 - “Some people say you get what you pay for, but you can’t buy better service than what they provide,” he said. “And if I’m having a bad day, I’ll call (my counselor) and tell him I just got three rejections and am feeling lousy. Half the battle is staying positive in this process, and they pick you up by your boot straps.”

One Life at a Time partners with other community organizations and may arrange for clients to get help finding new suits, housing or even psychological counseling. “Whatever people need, we try to take care of it,” O’Neill said.

‘A beacon of hope’

O’Neill has seen firsthand the emotional toll unemployment can take. A client who got some temporary work through One Life at a Time but was having a hard time finding a permanent job suffered from depression and took her own life around Thanksgiving. That loss only fueled O’Neill’s resolve to help.

“My vision is to help the whole person,” she said. “I know that when people lose a job and are out of work for a while, everything changes. People are desperate, they’re broken. We want people to know they are respected, they have worth. We need to make people feel that they’re the most important people we’re spending our time with – right now.”

Abbatiello starts by walking a new client into the kitchen and offering a cup of hot chocolate, coffee or tea. “That one small gesture really begins the process of what we’re all about,” he said. “We see individuals who are weighed down by the sadness of the situation to the point where they can’t pick up the phone. They need for us to be a beacon of hope, and that’s what we strive for.”

Some clients need help figuring out how to dress for an interview. Others have trouble whittling their five-page resumes down to something that won’t turn employers off. But people need the most help with interviewing, O’Neill said. When she conducts mock interviews with clients, many blurt out things they shouldn’t say to a prospective employer, while others exude a complete lack of confidence. O’Neill is known for being brutally honest with clients about what they need to work on, while at the same time reassuring them that they have plenty to give.

“People need help just knowing when they go into an interview that they have something to offer,” she said. “They don’t sound sure of their answers. They don’t know if they’re qualified. You can see it just in the way they are sitting. We work with them to get them feeling like, ‘Wow, I feel good. I can get this job.’”

Page 3 of 4 - Connecting with each client

Bill Bowman, 59, of Weymouth, a machine operator who has been out of work for more than a year, visits One Life at a Time at least once a week. Bowman needed help using computers, and at other career centers, he would try to learn computer skills in a group and get frustrated. He said he gets one-on-one attention at One Life at a Time. Abbatiello gave him step-by-step written instructions on how to send an e-mail with his resume attached, for instance.

“It’s been very stressful being out of work, but going there helps,” Bowman said. “Without them, I would feel sunk. I already told them if I get a job, I’m going to make a contribution.”

Abbatiello said clients appreciate the personal and individual service they receive at One Life at a Time.

“We invest the time in hearing the story of the person and connecting with that story,” he said. “We have limitless giving here. I know my clients by name, and they are on my mind when I drive home, and I think of them when I see Help Wanted signs.”

The career counselors also brainstorm with clients, helping them think beyond the careers they have had for years and consider other jobs that not only match their skills, but might be more fulfilling. Abbatiello had a client in her mid-50s who was somewhat wary of continuing to teach elementary school and was tired of watching most of the jobs go to younger, lower-paid candidates. Abbatiello helped her come up with some other prospects for work, including a nonprofit organization that provides tutoring for children with special needs.

“Instead of telling her she’s right to be depressed because there isn’t anything out there, my role is to tell her this isn’t where her story ends. We tease out of them where their gladness lies and strategize ways to break into other fields,” Abbatiello said. “When these ideas come out that people hadn’t thought about, realistic ideas, you can see a change in them,” Abbatiello said.

Life goes on

O’Neill’s own life has certainly changed since that difficult period in the early 1990s when she found herself out of work after the diagnostic center she owned abruptly closed. She was in a financial hole but didn’t want to file for bankruptcy, so she sold cars, jewelry and other belongings to pay off debts.

She eventually got a job as a sales representative for the Swiss pharmaceutical manufacturer Serono, which has offices in Rockland. But she reported the company to federal authorities, accusing the company of falsifying information in its efforts to market a human growth hormone. As part of a settlement in 2005, Serono agreed to plead guilty in U.S. District Court in Boston and pay more than $700 million in criminal fines and civil damages. O’Neill, along with four other whistleblowers, received a portion of the damages.

Page 4 of 4 - In addition to serving as executive director of One Life at a Time, O’Neill runs a for-profit recruitment company called The O’Neill Group. She and her husband also donate money to a variety of organizations in need, from hospitals to homeless shelters, through the Driscoll O’Neill Charitable Foundation. O’Neill’s money has kept One Life at a Time going, but the organization is now seeking grants and other contributions with the goal of expanding.

“It feels good to help people, but I always want to do more. I wish I could do this in every state,” O’Neill said. “The atmosphere at the office is very upbeat. Everybody stays positive. I think that’s why people like coming here, even if it’s just to sit and talk to one another. At Christmas time, a guy who had been unemployed for a year came in and told me, ‘This place is different. You make me feel like a real person.’”

For more information about One Life at a Time, call 781-681-7003 or go to 1lifeatatime.org.